Hi everyone, I'm new to Livejournal, and kind of new to Gackt too (i only discovered him last year). in my first post here, i want to ask
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yeah he's definitely not indies, but is it true that he's had only one #1 single ever - "returner"? if it is then its a total shame coz his body of work is so amazing! (PS-i love your avatar!)
right. his weekly no 1 single was "returner". "journey" was only no 1 at the daily charts. i was very suprised too, although that's my seventh gackt-year now. BUT ALL 35 singles were in the TOP 10. that's why he is at no 2(!) for the most singles to rank on the japanese oricon sales charts as a male solo artist!
Echoing the above statement, Gackt is often regarded as "non-Japanese", and most people definitely think he's weird. He's... very well known, and quite often on TV, but that's not really the same as him being popular.
Basically, most people just think he's a bit funny/weird. It's not easy (depending on who you know, I guess) to find anyone who likes (or will admit to liking) him.
Most of his fans seem to be the really devoted type. Definitely none of my junior high students would EVER say they like Gackt (they find it hilarious I do) but maybe some senior high would. Either way, his fans tend to be older.
the weirdness is deliberate, i thought? i mean, i thought it made him more popular,coz he talks about it ALL the time on those talk shows... and is it his music, which is regarded as non-japanese? or overall persona?
Perhaps, though personally I do think he is just genuinely strange too. And I don't think his weird personality makes him popular - but it does help make him famous.
And it's him, his personality, that's regarded as non-Japanese (which is kind of ironic, considering how nationalistic he is), but his music is not exactly mainstream.
It's interesting, if ever a Japanese person finds out I like Gackt, the response is always nervous laughter and, "...why? ...do you think he's handsome?" - they never consider it could be the music!
i personally got hooked to his music before i found out what he looked like...and his music is the most important aspect of him, for me. but i can see how his amazing good looks may overshadow everything else -thats why maybe people say - 'u like gackt? coz he's good looking?" - i guess. so many people have talked about the "nervous laugh" - LOL!!! - i find that really interesting (somehow it makes dear gakkun seem even more appealing to me!!! but then i guess i'm weird ...we ALL ARE!!! yayy!!)
One of my favorite things I have seen from Japanesse tv is where Gackt is walking down the street with the host of the show who is a famous idol there Gackt gets the attention of the people. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WY0OXaJgec
thank you i'll definitely go and see that! (is it the one where he goes out with a a lot of huge scary looking body gaurds? coz i think i have seen that.)
When I was in Japan I got the impression that Gackt kinda occupies his own little space. Not visual/heavy enough to be listed next to the JRock bands (you'll find him in the J-Pop aisles, a couple of shelves away from Kat-tun usually) but not cute/safe enough to be comfortably next to bands like the Johnny's lot.
He has a high profile though, as evidenced by the number of CMs, promotions and random TV appearances he does. None of the JRock bands can really compete with him on that one.
I agree with lefcadio that his fans tend to be older. He seems to appeal to a wide demographic although they do seem to keep largely quiet about it!
the impression i got from all the tv appearances and stuff floating around on youtube is that he's all over the place in japan -that you'll probably see his face on a poster or something every few yards you walk, lol! hmm...i definitely did not expect his fans to be "quite" :( but because so many of you seem to say this, it must be true. but i agree that he is a non-conformist and quite unlike other jmusicians i have seen. how big is yoshiki, do u know? coz he chose gackt for the "superband" S.K.I.N., right, which made me think that he's (gackt is) really huge! but then yoshiki is also kind of "westernised", ne?
Other than Harajuku and the time spent at the Gackt concerts we went to, the only times I actually saw/heard Gackt was in HMV Shinjuku (they had one of the displays celebrating his 10th anniversary) and when I heard Lost Angels playing in a Lawson. Not even the Tsutaya stores, for whom Gackt is currently promoting, had any posters... not even the store right next to the concert venue! Whereas you couldn't move without seeing Koda Kumi, Arashi, Namie Amuro etc on every billboard, store or train.
I think you have to remember that S.K.I.N. was only a superband in the JRock world. I imagine it caused nothing more than a small ripple in the mainstream Japanese media. I presume that more people would know X-Japan than know Yoshiki himself.
Gackt is definitely one of those undescribable celebrities. He's also one of those that everyone has definitely heard about some point in their life, whether they're recognized him or not, a fan or not.
As for his popularity, there is the fact that mostly recently, he's been selected as a respresentative for Japan in the Asia Song Festival, which will happen this month in Seoul, Korea. A bit of an honor, I think.
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(PS-i love your avatar!)
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BUT ALL 35 singles were in the TOP 10.
that's why he is at no 2(!) for the most singles to rank on the japanese oricon sales charts as a male solo artist!
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Basically, most people just think he's a bit funny/weird. It's not easy (depending on who you know, I guess) to find anyone who likes (or will admit to liking) him.
Most of his fans seem to be the really devoted type. Definitely none of my junior high students would EVER say they like Gackt (they find it hilarious I do) but maybe some senior high would. Either way, his fans tend to be older.
Just in my experience though~
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and is it his music, which is regarded as non-japanese? or overall persona?
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And it's him, his personality, that's regarded as non-Japanese (which is kind of ironic, considering how nationalistic he is), but his music is not exactly mainstream.
It's interesting, if ever a Japanese person finds out I like Gackt, the response is always nervous laughter and, "...why? ...do you think he's handsome?" - they never consider it could be the music!
Reply
so many people have talked about the "nervous laugh" - LOL!!! - i find that really interesting (somehow it makes dear gakkun seem even more appealing to me!!! but then i guess i'm weird ...we ALL ARE!!! yayy!!)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WY0OXaJgec
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He has a high profile though, as evidenced by the number of CMs, promotions and random TV appearances he does. None of the JRock bands can really compete with him on that one.
I agree with lefcadio that his fans tend to be older. He seems to appeal to a wide demographic although they do seem to keep largely quiet about it!
Reply
hmm...i definitely did not expect his fans to be "quite" :( but because so many of you seem to say this, it must be true.
but i agree that he is a non-conformist and quite unlike other jmusicians i have seen.
how big is yoshiki, do u know? coz he chose gackt for the "superband" S.K.I.N., right, which made me think that he's (gackt is) really huge! but then yoshiki is also kind of "westernised", ne?
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I think you have to remember that S.K.I.N. was only a superband in the JRock world. I imagine it caused nothing more than a small ripple in the mainstream Japanese media. I presume that more people would know X-Japan than know Yoshiki himself.
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(The comment has been removed)
As for his popularity, there is the fact that mostly recently, he's been selected as a respresentative for Japan in the Asia Song Festival, which will happen this month in Seoul, Korea.
A bit of an honor, I think.
Reply
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